Selamat Datang to the seventh instalment of the Malaysian Aviation Thread. Thread 6 was running from 12 September 2007 until 1 November 2007. The Malaysian Aviation Thread was idled from 2 November 2007 until 25 January 2008.


Source: mandarinoriental.com


Some of the major events in the previous threads:

Awards

• Malaysia Airlines has been voted the 4th Best Airline for Cabin Service Worldwide, out of a field of over 100 airlines, in the SmartTravelAsia.Com – Best In Travel Poll 2007, concluded recently. The national carrier also secured the 9th position to make it in the Top Ten list of best airlines worldwide.
  
  
• Malaysian budget airline AirAsia was named the winner of the prestigious Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) Airline of the Year Award for 2007. AirAsia was chosen based on its outstanding performance and robust growth, making it one of the leading and largest carriers in the region. CEO Datuk Tony Fernandes, who received the award before 300 distinguished members of the aviation community, said the award serves as a testament to AirAsia's resilience, commitment and discipline to deliver what it knows best - "for everyone to fly".
  
  
• Malaysia has been elected to the aviation world’s highest body – the International Civil Aviation Organisation or ICAO Council – at the 36th ICAO Assembly in Montreal. Malaysia was deeply honoured at being elected for the first time by 190 contracting states to sit on the powerful council.
  

Crashes/Mishap:

• Following the One-Two-Go's MD82 crash in Phuket, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) cancelled its second daily flight from Kuala Lumpur to Phuket following the closure of the airport. MH used A333 instead of the usual B734 to HKT to ferry stranded passengers a day after the tragedy.
  
  
• A MAS flight was cancelled at Sultan Mahmud Airport following a technical hitch causing 140 passengers, including Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh and several state leaders, to be stranded. The MH1335 flight from Kuala Terengganu to Kuala Lumpur International Airport was supposed to leave at 4.10pm. It is learnt that aircraft’s air-conditioning system had malfunctioned.
  
  
• MH flight delayed at Karachi on 27 October 2007 due to security (bomb related) threat.
  
  
• A Malaysia Airlines flight that left Hong Kong for KLIA on 29 October morning had to return to Hong Kong International Airport about an hour later when the captain detected a malfunction. The passengers of flight MH75 were initially allowed to remain onboard the Airbus A330 during the preliminary investigations. However, after ascertaining that the rectification was going to take longer and that a crew change was necessary, all passengers were disembarked and served lunch before being transferred to other flights. There were 27 business class and 162 economy class passengers. “We transferred 101 passengers to flight MH73 that departed at 4.03pm while 35 passengers were transferred to another airline that departed at 6.10pm for KLIA. Another six passengers were rerouted on other airlines to their final destinations. The remaining 47 passengers were re-booked on flight MH75 scheduled to depart he following day at 9.15am and provided overnight hotel accommodation.”
  
  
• Thai AirAsia said it was not affected at all although its 14 flights connecting Phuket was cancelled following the One-Two-Go crash.
  
  
• The first flight of the penultimate day of FAX Rural Air Service almost ended in disaster when the engines failed while airborne. Lawas-bound Twin Otter flight DZ 1530 took off slightly after its 6.55 am schedule but ran into trouble within minutes after take-off. It was supposed to land in Lawas airport at 7.40am but was returned back using just one engine that was “forced” to start by the pilot. The co-pilot was overheard saying that they might land on a highway but the calm pilot turned back to Miri airport and head out to the sea with the single left engine. That engine spluttered and even stopped in mid-aid for several seconds, causing the aircraft to lose attitude rapidly and left the passengers hysterical. To their great relief, the pilot managed to restart an engine and nursed the plane back to the airport.
  

Government/NGO interferences in aviation businesses:

• The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is in talks with the government to have passenger service charges at the low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) to be standardised with that at the main terminal at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). Its director general and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said the charges at the LCCT were 50% lower than at the main terminal and that was discriminatory and unfair against airlines. In May, Transport Minister announced the lower charges for the LCCT and said it was aimed at raising the country’s potential as an operational hub for low-cost carriers in Asia.
  
  
• IATA's intervention caused AirAsia CEO, Tony Fernandes to be furious. "How could IATA complain to us? Why doesn’t Bisignani complain about Singapore’s taxes, why just LCCT? Why should IATA be involved in our issues?” He also claimed that Bisignani had no right to ask consumers to pay more airport taxes since LCCT was a low-cost terminal that had only basic amenities. On June 1, Malaysia reduced airport tax at the LCCTs in Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu to RM25 from RM51. “We welcome IATA’s member airlines to operate at the LCCT if they want to save money but do not insult our sovereignty,” Fernandes added.
  

New/Additional Routes/Service/Carrier/Frequency/Upgrade/Downgrade/Movement to Malaysia:

• Changes in MH's Northern Winter 2007 schedule:
  
  Suspended
  KUL-CEB-KUL 2 weekly on B734 will be withdrawn but KUL-BKI-CEB-BKI-KUL 2 weekly on B734 will be retained effective Oct 28.
  KUL-NGO-KUL 4 weekly on A332 will be withdrawn based on the findings of route profitability exercise effective Jan 5, 2008.
  KUL-ZRH-KUL 3 weekly on B772 will be withdrawn based on the findings of route profitability exercise effective Jan 24, 2008.
  
  New Destination
  KUL-KHI-Lahore-KUL 3 weekly (on Monday, Thursday and Saturday) using A333 effective Jan 7, 2008.
  
  Route Reallignment
  KUL-DXB-IST-DXB-KUL 2 weekly using A332 from KUL-IST-KUL 2 weekly using A332 effective Jan 8, 2008.
  
  Added Frequency
  Male/Colombo increases to 4 weekly from 3 weekly.
  Bangalore increases to 4 weekly from 3 weekly.
  Chennai increases to 9 weekly from 7 weekly.
  Adelaide increase to 5 weekly from 4 weekly effective Dec 4, 2007 to Feb 6, 2008.
  Perth increases to 10 weekly from 9 weekly effective Dec 5, 2007 to Feb 7, 2008.
  
  Reduced Frequency
  Xiamen decreases to 3 weekly from 4 weekly effective Oct 28.
  Kunming decreases to 2 weekly from 3 weekly from Jan 4, 2008 to Feb 29.
  Surabaya decreases to 7 weekly from 9 weekly effective Oct 28.
  
  Equipment Upgrade
  Hyderabad from A332 (229 seats) to A333 (294 seats) every Tuesday effective Oct 28.
  
  
• MH announced new route. MFM. It has been uploaded on their online booking system. It will be served 4 times weekly using B734s. However, the flight number (MH7XXX) indicated that it is an extra flight.
  
  Flight schedules are as below:
  MH 7056, KUL - MFM: 2015-0010+1 (flight departs KUL every Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday)
  MH 7057, MFM - KUL: 0100 - 0450 (flight departs MFM ever Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday)
  
  
• AirAsia
  
  
  
  • AirAsia started Kuching-Macau on 15 November 2007. Kuching station manager said: "If the Kuching-Macau flight is a success, we may consider introducing a Kuching-Shenzen route."
    
    
  • Kuala Lumpur - Banda Aceh every Tuesday, Friday & Sunday.
    
    AK921 Kuala Lumpur Banda Aceh 1155 1220
    AK922 Banda Aceh Kuala Lumpur 1245 1510
    
    
  • Thrice weekly KUL-VTE-KUL loaded.
    
    KUL-VTE: 0905-1040
    VTE-KUL: 1110-1445
    
    
  • AirAsia got the nod from the Government to operate two flights daily to Singapore beginning 1 February 2008. Tiger Airways and Jetstar Asia, Singapore’s own budget airline, would also ply the same route. Singapore Airlines welcomes the opening of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore route to competition. Malaysia Airline has expressed disappointment with the premature opening of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore route on a limited basis, and hoped that its Firefly will get to operate between Subang and Singapore too. AK is expecting 20 flights daily by January 2009. The opening of the ruote is to strengthen KUL. AK's shareprice hit 5 months high. AK to exercise 25 (of the 50 option) of aircrafts from its existing order to accommodate KUL-SIN.
    
    
  • Thai AirAsia discontinues BKK-LGK, replaced it with an additional (third daily) BKK-KUL flight. BKK-KTM, BKK-DAC, BKK-CGK, BKK-CAN, BKK-HKG are also planned.
    
    
  • AirAsia said it plans to add a second daily flight between Malaysia and Shenzhen in southern China starting October 2007 as part of its regional network expansion. In a statement, AirAsia said its daily Kuala Lumpur-Shenzhen flight has received an overwhelming response since it was launched in mid-July, with passenger loads of over 90 percent.
    
  
  
• Jetstar International may use Malaysia as its Asian hub when it flies to south Europe in the near future following its inaugural flight to KUL. Jetstar CEO Alan Joyce said the carrier was now in talks with airport authorities in Europe, but a decision on its flights to that continent would not be made until the end of next year. SYD-KUL to go daily and MEL-KUL is planned. Jetstar also emphasizes that its product offerings are different from that of AirAsia X.
  
  
• Kingfisher to KUL before 2007 year end and Air India Express began serving KUL-Kolkata beginning 7 October 2007.
  
  
• China Eastern doubled its PVG-KUL from 7 to 14 weekly flights. New flight schedule (all flights operated by A319):
  
  PVG-KUL:
  MU 5023: Dep. 0950; Arr. 1540 *New Flight*
  MU 539: Dep. 1900; Arr. 0020
  
  KUL-PVG:
  MU 540: Dep. 0200, Arr. 0700
  MU 5024: Dep. 1645, Arr. 2205 *New Flight*
  
  MU 5024 will provide the only mid-afternoon flight to PVG from KUL.
  
  
• Hong Kong Express flights between Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur are now bookable. According to Amadeus, the new HK airline will fly in daily with B738 equipment from November 11, 2007.
  
  Hong Kong- Kuala Lumpur
  DAILY 738
  Flight UO 731 Dep HKG 1515 Arr KUL 1900
  
  Kuala Lumpur-Hong Kong
  DAILY 738
  Flight UO 732 Dep KUL 1945 Arr HKG 2330
  
  
• Etihad Airways, United Arab Emirates’ national airline, has carried more than 93,000 passengers for the Kuala Lumpur-Abu Dhabi route in the first nine months since it began operations here. In the three months to September alone, the airline has flown more than 43,000 passengers on this route, with an average seat factor of 74%. This was due to increase in tourists from the Middle East during the peak travel season. The airline aims to carry in excess of 124,000 passengers for the KL-Abu Dhabi route by year-end. Passengers flying the KUL-Abu Dhabi route accounts for 3% of Etihad Airways’ total number of passengers in its entire network.
  
  
• Sarawak government-owned aviation company Hornbill Skyways has drawn up a blueprint to urgently revive the flying doctor service for the sake of the thousands of rural folks still living in remote regions of Sarawak. The airline, wholly-owned by the state economic development corporation and related agencies, has already forwarded the plan to the Federal Government and Health Ministry, said Hornbill Skyways CEO Aidan Wing. The decision now lies with the federal authorities in Kuala Lumpur.
  

Online Facilities/New Product:

• MH is to redevelop its website. Newly enhanced website is expected to be ready by November 2007.
  
  
• MH eticketing implementation network wide was DELAYED until end of October 2007. Earlier, it was announced that the carrier will be fully eticketed by 21 September 2007. The plan for online check-in through MAS’s website will stay by March 2008. The website (then) will allow customers to search available flights, check seat availability, print out e-ticket for local and international travel, make itinerary changes and indicate meal preferences.
  

People:

• After months of failing to get any help locally, 20 athletes from the Special Olympics Malaysia squad sought the assistance of a foreign airline to help fund their airfares. And much to their relief, Royal Brunei Airlines agreed to sponsor half the airfares to enable the athletes to participate in the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai. The athletes representative, said he was deeply disappointed that no state or federal agency he approached was willing to sponsor even a “fraction” of expenses. Even Malaysia Airline turned down his request for assistance. The total expenses for the trip works out to RM150,000, including food, accommodation, training and sports attire. Eight coaches and two officials will accompany the athletes.
  
  
• An Australian doctor left her family to attend to three sick passengers on a Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight to Kuala Lumpur. As a reward, she wanted an upgrade but MAS said no. And Dr Matilda Metledge has shot off a bill to MAS for services rendered. Her actions have now sparked a debate over whether doctors should be rewarded for providing services during flights. The Australian Doctor magazine reported that Dr Metledge had to leave her young family to attend to an elderly man and a woman who were vomiting, as well as another who was causing a disturbance, on her flight. After being given toiletries and pyjamas for her services, Dr Metledge asked for an upgrade but was refused. The Australian Medical Association (AMA) is asking international airlines to provide incentives for doctors whose travels are ruined by treating fellow passengers. AMA public health committee chairman Assoc Prof John Gullotta told the Herald Sun newspaper he also had three recent flights ruined because he had to treat passengers, and felt airlines were taking doctors for granted.
  
  
• Malaysia's biggest day since independence! Malaysia's first astronout launched to the orbit. At exactly 9.23pm (Malaysian time) on Wednesday 10 October 2007, the Soyuz -FG rocket launcher blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The rocket launcher, carrying the Soyuz TMA-II spacecraft with Malaysian cosmonaut Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor and his crew members on board, lit up the clear night sky. He returned to earth on 21 October 2007.
  
  
• Police have obtained a five-day remand order against the Palestinian stowaway Osama, who hid in the front wheel of a Singapore Airlines (SIA) jet from KL International Airport (KLIA) to Changi Airport. Bangi magistrate’s court registrar allowed Osama to be remanded until Oct 23 to help facilitate in police investigations under Section 7 of the Protected Areas and Protected Places Act 1959. Singapore decided not to charge Osama and deported him. If he had been convicted under immigration offences in Singapore, he could have been jailed up to six months, caned, or fined up to S$6,000 (RM14,000). It is learnt Shublaq, an engineer, breached security at KL International Airport by climbing over the facility’s perimeter fencing. It is also learnt that Shublaq entered the country legally last month and had sought political asylum for himself and his family at the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.
  

Plane delivery/movement/order:

• MH's former B744, 9M-MKG is now being leased to Air India after Oasis Hong Kong faced some financial difficulties in getting the aircraft.
  
  
• MH purchased 10 Firm ATR72-500 plus 10 Options for FireFly and MASwings.
  
  
• AK has completed the registration series of 9M-AF_ from A to Z (except for W - William F1 team special livery) for its A320s and now start receiving A320s with the 9M-AH_ registered series.
  
  
• AK's leased A333 (9M-XAA) arrived in KUL on 20 September 2007. The economy class cabin boast 31 inch seat pitch and will be configured 2-4-2 abreast and 2-3-2 abreast at the last 5 rows. Please be informed that the seat configuration in Economy class on AirAsia X's own 15 new A333s will be different. It will be configured 3-3-3 abreast the seats will slide forward instead of seat back reclines, like all other new generation seats. But one has to wait until 2008 to experience them.
  
  
• Thai AirAsia received first A320, HS-ABA.
  
  
• AirAsia to intend to Exercise 25 x A320 Options and add another 25 Options.
  
  
• The international tender for new aircraft to replace the ageing fleet of Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Nuri helicopters will open soonThe RMAF has outlined the technical specifications. Everything has been submitted to the Defence Ministry’s procurement division. The tender assessment process would take between two and three months. The result is expected to be announced early next year. This is the latest development regarding plans to replace the US-made Nuris which entered service in 1968. The first phase of the replacement exercise would involve 12 helicopters. The new helicopters would be able to operate in any weather condition, adding that the Government had lost RM86.9mil from 15 Nuri accidents since 1968, which left 89 people dead, including 70 RMAF personnel.
  

Travel Fair:

• English Premier League (EPL) fans in Malaysia are in for a treat to travel abroad and catch their favourite teams in action thanks to the newly launched Malaysia Airlines football packages for the 2007-08 season. Fans will be able to watch teams like Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspurs and West Ham in action at their respective venues with the national carrier’s "Nothing beats being there" packages.
  
  
• Jet Airways (India) Ltd sold around 300 tour packages and 500 air tickets during its three-day Incredible India Travel Fair. The fair, a joint effort with India Tourism, featured special tour packages and 15% to 20% discounts on standalone air tickets to India. Jet Airways regional vice-president Gerry Oh said the fair, attracted some 2,000 visitors.
  
  
• Visit Malaysia Year 2007 is being extended to 31 August 2008.
  

Visa/Entry Requirement:

Foreigners who overstay will face higher fines instead of prosecution. Deputy Home Affairs Minister Datuk Tan Chai Ho was quoted as saying that those caught overstaying for less than 30 days would be fined RM30 per day. Those who overstay between 31 and 180 days will be fined RM1,000 and those who exceeded 180 days RM2,000. Prosecution took a longer time to process and the move, which began in August, would help speed up deportation of illegal immigrants. The number of illegal foreigners in the country was increasing. “There are also cases where some foreigners lose their passports so that we cannot trace their date of arrival. For such cases, we will impose a RM3,000 fine straight away before deporting them to their countries.”


MALAYSIA AIRLINES

• Malaysia Airline (MAS) proposed issuance of RCPS (redeemable convertible preference shares) in its bid to raise more capital for fleet renewal. The RCPS are attractively priced and would increase the trading liquidity in the airline’s shares, analysts said. MAS would issue up to 418 million new rights shares at RM2.70 per rights shares for every three existing shares, or a discount of 33% from the theoretical ex-rights price of RM4.05 per share.
  
  
• Malaysia Airlines planned to bring into Malaysia about 25,000 passengers per annum with property investment intentions after launching the Henry Butcher Penang's 'From Penang with love-A real estate guide for expatriates', a result of collaboration between the airlines and Henry Butcher Malaysia (Penang).
  
  
• MH made the headlines after introducing the new inflight meal replacement, the meal box, for flights under 3.5 hours. The cutbacks will be applicable to Economy class only. Passengers in Golden Club class will not be effected. The implementation of the Meal Box will be on trial basis from 1st October 2007 – 31st December 2007. The box is elegant and comes with full plastic sleeve. Routes effected are Ho Chi Minh City, Yangon, Bangkok, Kota Kinabalu (selected), Kuching (selected) and Miri (selected).
  
  
• MH hedged for 60% of their year 2007 fuel needs, said near-record oil prices are impeding larger bets to lock in the company’s biggest expense. The carrier’s hedge, at about US$60 a barrel of crude oil, compares with a market price of almost US$82. MH, hedged for 20% of year 2008 fuel needs, may be unable to avoid incurring bigger costs, said Aseambankers Malaysia Bhd analyst Khair Mirza in Kuala Lumpur. The company’s hedge in 2008 was also at about US$60 a barrel, he said. Hedging allows carriers to protect against possible fuel price increases.
  
  
• MH made a special Malaysian exhibition in ARN on 28-29th September. Good food, entertainment and ticket fares were offered to the public.
  
  
• MH has started reducing the number of cabin crew in its B734s from 5 to 4, in relation with the introduction of the meal box.
  
  
• Malaysia Airlines launched its Malaysia Airlines Engineering Training Centre (METC) to ensure a continuous supply of skilled workforce to boost its growth in the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) business.
  
  
• Malaysian Airline System Bhd’s (MAS) share price surged 78 sen to almost a two-month high of RM5.30 on foreign funds buying into the stock following an international roadshow and after CIMB Research raised its target price for the national carrier to RM13. Analysts said other factors were MAS’ rising profitability and its renounceable rights issue of 418 million shares of RM1 each at RM2.70 and 417 million redeemable convertible preference shares (RCPS) of 10 sen each.
  
  
• Malaysia Airline (MAS) is expected to be one of the largest beneficiaries of a weakening US dollar, said CIMB Research. In an Oct 2 report, the research house said “every 1% depreciation in the US dollar can enhance MAS’ net earnings by 5.3%.”
  
  
• Malaysia Airlines (MAS) aims to shift gear next year to become more nimble to deal with competition going forward. MAS would introduce a new business transformation plan early next year that would provide a pathway for it to transform itself in the next five years. “We were talking a lot about business turnaround plan before. Now we plan to transform from what we are today into a five-star airline at low-cost carrier cost.”
  
  
• MH plans in their 5 years Business Transformation Plan: MYR 200 million of saving is planned per year and ticket fare will be reduced between 5-7%. New schedule and fare for KUL-SIN route will be announced after AK commences operation into SIN. Snackbox is expected to be maintained to simplify business process and reduce aircraft turnaround time.
  
  
• MAS was still in talks on the purchase of six Airbus A380 aircraft. MAS was waiting for progress to be made in the talks. In July last year, Idris said Airbus Industrie would have to pay compensation for the delay in delivering the A380. He hoped the issue would be settled by year's end.
  

MASEU

• The Government has been asked to reduce the number of foreign workers at the KL International Airport in Sepang, especially in high-risk areas. Malaysia Airlines Employees Union (Maseu) executive secretary Mustafar Maarof said that about 600 foreign workers were working for Malaysia Airlines (MAS) at the airport. “Maseu urges the Government and others concerned to draw up a tighter system of recruiting, supplying and determining the number of foreign workers to prevent untoward incidents.”
  
  
• High absenteeism and turnover among the local workforce are the factors cited for the hiring of foreign workers at the KL International Airport. “The locals come in or do not come in to work as they wish, sometimes without informing us,” said Sharifah Halimah Syed Ahmad, CEO of KL Airports Services (KLAS), the ground-handling agent in KLIA. We are in the service business and we cannot fail. The numbers must always be there,” she said, adding that recruiting foreign workers was justified to MASEU.
  

FIREFLY

• Firefly extended its RM9.99 “Balik Kampung” promotion period to 27 September 2007 in conjunction with Ramadan. The promotion is for the travelling period between Sept 11 and Oct 10, 2007. Tagged as a community airline, Firefly now flies from Penang to Kuantan, Kota Bharu, Kuala Terengganu, Langkawi, and Phuket and Koh Samui in Thailand.
  
  
• Community airline Firefly will put on additional flights on Oct 11 and Oct 12 to accommodate the expected rush home for Hari Raya Aidilfitri. The additional flights will operate on the Penang-Kota Baru, Penang-Kuantan and Penang-Terengganu routes.
  
  
• Firefly, which currently has a hub in PEN, is now operating out of Subang near the capital Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru in the south and Kota Kinabalu on Borneo island. Firefly began twice daily flights between Penang and Subang - Kuala Lumpur's second airport - from October 29. Firefly will offer six domestic and nine regional routes from Penang, 12 domestic and 13 regional routes out of Subang, and seven domestic and 14 regional destinations from Johor Baru. They did not name the destinations but said the expanded network will serve the needs of a potential customer base of 150 million in Southeast Asia.
  
  
• Now that AsiaAsia can fly to Singapore, national carrier Malaysia Airlines’ subsidiary Firefly may follow suit. Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy said that the Government “would certainly give serious consideration” for the national carrier’s subsidiary to fly to the republic from its hub in Subang.
  

MASwings

• MASwings unveiled its new livery on 23 September 2007.
  
  
• MASwings commenced its operations in East Malaysia effective Oct 1, 2007 with two inaugural Fokker 50 aircraft flights in Sarawak and Sabah. The company would initially operate with four 50-seater Fokker 50 and four 19-seater Twin Otter aircraft, to serve a network of 21 destinations in Sarawak and Sabah as well as Labuan. Effective Oct 28, its fleet size will be increased to seven Fokker 50 and five Twin Otter aircraft, and by December, there will be an additional Fokker 50. MASWings will start with a flight from Miri to Mulu at 9.10am, and another from Kota Kinabalu to Lahad Datu at 10am. He added that interlining services would be available on participating airlines which allowed customers to check in all the way to their final destinations with just one ticket. The operational base for MASwings would be in Miri, while its maintenance base would be in Kota Kinabalu.
  
  
• MASWings took off smoothly into the skies of Sabah and Sarawak on 1 October 2007, heralding hopes for an efficient and thrifty rural air service. The inaugural flight, the aircraft a Fokker 50 with the call number MH3014, took off from Kota Kinabalu for Lahad Datu with 15 orphans given a joy ride, with Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman and MAS chairman Datuk Dr Munir Majid witnessing the event.
  
  
• Information on MASwings is available at www.maswings.com.my, bookings are accepted through Malaysia Airlines call centre 1-300-88-300 or 603 78433000 as well as at MAS offices and travel agents worldwide.
  

AIRASIA

• AirAsia Bhd has extended an airline consultancy agreement with Wordison Ltd for another one-year term. Among other things, Wordison's services related to providing advice and consultancy on low-cost airline operations, fleet acquisition, route planning, aero politics, regulatory factors, market demographics, competitive positioning/scenarios and financial requirements.
  
  
• AirAsia Bhd has agreed to buy 20% stake in Fly Asian Xpress Sdn Bhd (FAX) for RM26.67mil cash, with an option to acquire an additional 10%. However, the additional stake would be priced at market valuation and not RM1 par value, AirAsia said in a filing with Bursa Malaysia. It said the parties signed a definitive agreement on the matter.
  
  
• AK is mildly effected by the recent crash. Thai AirAsia is expected to reduce fares to sustain load factor, yield expected to reduce by 2% and is expected to continue making losses for the second half of FY2007 and FY2008.
  
  
• Modelled after no-frills online financial services such as Egg Prudential Bank in the United States and Virgin Money in Europe, Tune Money is offering personal accident (PA), motorcyclist PA and home (building) insurance policies, life insurance products by next year and is now scouting for potential life insurance partners and was inviting insurers to submit their bids. The company would take its no-frills insurance to Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam by the middle of next year.
  
  
• AirAsia Bhd has recently upgraded its fleet with the purchase of its firm 150 Airbus A320 plus 50 options earlier this year as part of its continuous effort towards delivering sustainable value to society via its various corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes and practices.
  
  
• Dato Tony Fernandes to follow Sir Branson's path in silver screen acting. AirAsia CEO Datuk Tony Fernandes is riding high - on the silver screen. He will appear in a cameo role in the comedy Cuci, to be released by the end of the year. The flamboyant businessman is playing himself in the movie, which is about four men (acted by Awie, AC Mizal, Afdlin Shauki and Hans Isaac) from Cuci Cuci Services who aspire to compete in a “Window Washing Olympic” competition to win a contract to clean the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur.
  
  
• AirAsia’s move to penetrate the lucrative Vietnamese domestic market under a joint venture with Vinashin, the country’s largest shipbuilder, has hit a snag with reports that the government has refused to grant a licence. The report by VietNamNet Bridge did not give details of the refusal but said domestic airlines, including Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines, could have asked the government not to license Vina AirAsia. AK denies Vina AirAsia would fail.
  
  
• AirAsia will further expand its operations in Senai International Airport even though it has now got the nod to fly the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore route, its CEO Datuk Tony Fernandes said. “We have invested more than RM1bil in Senai and we will continue to develop more routes originating from the Johor airport. We have started flights to Macau from Senai. We are going to start the Senai-Guangzhou and Senai-Shenzhen routes. On a personal basis, I have even invested in a hotel in Senai. We are the only airline which park their aircraft there. We have three brand new A320 parked there.”
  

FLY ASIAN XPRESS

• AirAsia X has officially applied for regulatory approval to fly to Australia as it moves to start cut-price services between Kuala Lumpur and the Gold Coast. The carrier lodged the paperwork for its foreign air operator's certificate with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. CASA's service charter requires it to process the application within 130 days but it could take less time if the process goes smoothly.
  
  
• AirAsia X will launch STN in November 2008 using 2 Airbus 340-300s. Ticket to be sold beginning February 2008. AirAsia X will serve Gold Coast (4 weekly) and Hangzhou (5 weekly) beginning the last week of October 2007 using a leased A333 named Semangat Sir Freddie. AirAsia X will offer pre assigned seating, which can be pre-selected during booking process, purchase of hot meals, amenity kits and in-flight entertainment, on an “a la carte” basis. AirAsia X is also considering a purchase of 25 A350s or B787s, with preference to whom can deliver faster.
  
  
• AirAsia X’s first flight to Gold Coast in Australia was on Nov 2 and for the first eight flights it will cost just about RM1,020 for a return trip. This is about 30% less than the cheapest fare available on other airlines for tickets to Australia. The airline commenced four (4) direct return flights per week between Gold Coast Airport and Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT), Kuala Lumpur beginning Nov 2. The inaugural flight carried 315 passengers – 279 in economy class seats and 36 in premium XL seats – in the airline’s Airbus A330-300 aircraft which arrived earlier this month. AirAsia X is the offshoot of AirAsia’s successful short haul low cost model in South East Asia.
  
  
• AirAsia X, which over a single weekend sold more than 6,000 seats to Australia's Gold Coast, received the much-awaited Air Operator’s Certification (AOC) from Malaysia’s Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) and the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority, which paved the way for its inaugural flight to Gold Coast on 2 November 2007.
  

MALAYSIA AIRPORTS

Airport performances:

• Thousands of foreign workers, mostly from Bangladesh, have been forced to eat and sleep in the KL International Airport’s car park upon landing at the airport. This is because the Immigration Department has turned the airport’s car park at level three of Block A into a temporary shelter for the foreigners. The Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) wants the Human Resources Ministry to solve the problem of Bangladeshis stranded at the airport. MTUC secretary-general said the ministry should suspend all recruitment through outsourced agents to overcome the problem. The government policy (of using ONLY MH to deport foreign workers) halting the deportation procees. MH's flights to Dhaka are fully booked until October. Government is urged to relax the policy.
  
  
• Airport tax and security charges will be waived on all flights originating FROM rural destinations in Sabah and Sarawak. MH and MASWings to enable 'hopping' between the two carriers on the (limited) routes where both carriers serve. Both the charges ranged from MYR 11 to MYR 50 one-way depending on the sector.
  
  
• Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) set three goals to achieve at the 13th World Route Development Forum (Routes 2007) which was held in Stockholm, Sweden. It wanted fruitful discussions with participating airlines. It also wanted to attract new airlines to Malaysia and promote Routes 2008 in Kuala Lumpur. Routes 2007, which has attracted 2,500 delegates, had a two-day Routes' Leaders Forum and featuring leaders in the aviation industry. MAHB CEO is a panel speaker for the Stretching the Low-Cost Model session. Other speakers include British Airways Plc CE Willie Walsh, clickair CEO Alex Cruz, Macquarie Airports CEO Kerrie Mather, European Low Fares Airline Association secretary-general John Hanlon and AirAsia X CEO Azran Osman-Rani.
  
  
• Route 2008 will be held in KUL. MAHB CEO is leading a delegation comprising about 50 representatives from Routes 2008 partners, including Kuala Lumpur City Hall, Express Rail Link, Malaysia Tourism Board, Malaysia Airlines, KL Airport Services, Sepang International Circuit and Petroliam Nasional Bhd. This is the biggest group from Malaysia to date and was felt necessary to promote Kuala Lumpur for next year's event, slated for Oct 12–14. “As hosts of next year's Routes, we have to promote Malaysia. Routes is rather Europe-centric and Malaysia is the first Asian country to host it. Some of them have never travelled this far so we have to convince them it's worth the visit,” Bashir said, adding that the partners were targeting 2,800 delegates for Routes 2008, the highest in Routes history. Fired up with this mission, MAHB has taken one of the larger booths and Tourism Malaysia has its own stand. Routes 2008 partners are all set to charm the delegates with videos, pamphlets, brochures, lucky draws, cultural performances and delicious satay. As the host of Routes 2008, MAHB will also host a farewell reception on Route 2007.
  
  
• Officials of Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) and British Airways (BA) will meet in a couple of months to continue discussions on BA reinstating flights to Malaysia. “There is certainly an interest to return but right now, they are looking at figures and forecasts to ensure that when they do operate, the service will be viable and sustainable for the long term.No date (to commence flights) has been fixed as it depends on the viability of the operations and the availability of aircraft.”It was purely a business decision. “Every time we talk, the picture becomes clearer. We appreciate their willingness to talk to us openly and to share their views on this matter.”BA was being cautious because it did not want to have to pull out again. “Once they come in, they want to stay.”
  
  
• MAHB expected the number of airlines operating at the KL International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang to increase from the current 50 to 70 in the next five years. "In the next two to three years, we would see an average of four to five new airlines per year commencing operations in Malaysia. Besides large airlines, we also welcome smaller airlines," said MAHB CEO. MAHB is not only focusing on the number of airlines, but also to increase flight frequencies which ultimately would mean more business for the company. Four to five airlines said that they will increase flight frequency to Kuala Lumpur in the next 12 months. 22 airlines that are yet to come to Malaysia have expressed keen interest to start operations in the country. From India, Kingfisher Airlines and budget carrier Air India Express have plans to fly to Kuala Lumpur. Charter flights include LTU, Condor and TUL from Germany, Italy's Eurofly and Canada's Zoom. Also Mahan Air from Iran, which will fly to Malaysia in March next year. They plan to increase their current charter aircraft from five to 10.
  
  
• Check-out facilities at KL Sentral will be rolled out in January 2008. Trial run planned in November 2007. KLIA Express will partner MH for the service. CX and BI to follow later.
  
  
• Transport Minister has instructed Malaysia Airports Bhd to beef up security at airports. He said despite airports in Malaysia, especially the KL International Airport, having met security standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, there was still room for improvement. The company had been asked to submit its proposals to the Government as soon as possible. He was commenting on the incident where Palestinian Osama R.M. Shublaq became a stowaway on board a Singapore Airlines flight. Shublaq, who was discovered when he fell off the nose wheel of the plane, was deported back to Malaysia by Singapore and had been in remand.
  

Airports' constructions:

Kuala Terengganu (TGG)

The Sultan Mahmud Airport here will be awarded international status allowing Jumbo Jets to land and depart, to balance the ambitious East Coast Economic Region (ECER) project for the state. The airport's new complex is expected to be operational soon while currently the airport’s runway extension project, covering a length of 2,800m, is underway and the state government submitted another proposal to extend the runway an additional 600 meter. The airport was undergoing renovation at a cost of RM123mil.

Penang (PEN)

The Penang International Airport will not be relocated to the mainland, assures Penang Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon. Dr Koh said that the airport on the island was here to stay in Bayan Lepas. "We can be assured that the airport will be anchored here at its present site, as it is being planned to undergo extensions for its cargo and passenger sectors."

Malaysia's premier aviation enthusiast website: www.malaysianwings.com


The previous Malaysian Aviation Threads can be found here:

Malaysian Aviation Thread (by 9MMAR Dec 29 2006 in Civil Aviation)
Malaysian Aviation Thread 2 (by 9MMAR Feb 10 2007 in Civil Aviation)
Malaysian Aviation Thread 3 (by 9MMAR Apr 6 2007 in Civil Aviation)
Malaysian Aviation Thread 4 (by 9MMAR May 28 2007 in Civil Aviation)
Malaysian Aviation Thread 5 (by 9MMAR Jul 12 2007 in Civil Aviation)
Malaysian Aviation Thread 6 (by 9MMAR Sep 11 2007 in Civil Aviation)

Lets get started!